The Influence of Lord Kames (Henry Home) on Some of the Founders of the United States

A. Rahmatian (2015), ‘The influence of Lord Kames (Henry Home) on some of the founders of the United States’, 7 Historia et Ius, 7, 1-48 (Rivista di storia giuridica dell’età medievale e moderna)

48 Pages Posted: 27 Mar 2016

See all articles by Andreas Rahmatian

Andreas Rahmatian

University of Glasgow - School of Law

Date Written: June 01, 2015

Abstract

The jurist, judge, philosopher and legal historian Henry Home, Lord Kames (1696-1782) was one of the principal representatives of the Scottish Enlightenment. He also shaped considerably the thinking of some of the founders of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Wilson. Franklin exchanged ideas with Kames about art and American affairs. For Adams, Kames was an authority on law and legal history, with a singularly critical stance towards the traditional feudal system. For Jefferson, Kames was an authoritative writer on law and a principal influence in the shaping of Jefferson’s own moral philosophy. Wilson made Kames a role model for young lawyers in a new American spirit. Kames’s thought has influenced these four founders of the United States more substantively than has commonly been assumed.

Keywords: Lord Kames, Founders of the United States, Scottish Enlightenment

JEL Classification: K10, K40

Suggested Citation

Rahmatian, Andreas, The Influence of Lord Kames (Henry Home) on Some of the Founders of the United States (June 01, 2015). A. Rahmatian (2015), ‘The influence of Lord Kames (Henry Home) on some of the founders of the United States’, 7 Historia et Ius, 7, 1-48 (Rivista di storia giuridica dell’età medievale e moderna), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2755013

Andreas Rahmatian (Contact Author)

University of Glasgow - School of Law ( email )

School of Law, Stair Building
5-8 The Square
Glasgow, G12 8QQ
United Kingdom

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